


Concert Halls

by apple931



Category: Splatoon
Genre: M/M, and rider having a gay crisis, pretty much just specs being the best wingman alive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:28:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25924408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apple931/pseuds/apple931
Summary: Specs helps Rider get together with a certain squid.
Relationships: Goggles/Rider (Splatoon)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 67





	1. The Plan

Ever since blue team started training with him, Specs noticed something… off about Rider. At first, he couldn’t put his finger on what. Until he started paying attention. He noticed the way he got all fidgety when talking to Goggles, averting his eyes whenever they talked. It wasn’t exactly hard to figure out what was going on with that.  
He had it bad. Specs wasn’t even sure if Rider knew it, but there was no doubting it. The look in his eyes whenever he saw Goggles was a dead giveaway. He always softened up a bit with Goggles during training, keeping his exasperation towards the other’s antics more internal.  
But judging by the way he got all flustered and quiet when talking to Goggles, Specs figured he could use a helping hand with that little crush of his. 

“Hey Rider, can I talk to you for a sec?” Specs walked over to the other, who looked over his shoulder.  
“Hm? What do you want?” Rider crossed his arms, turning to face Specs. Specs normally didn’t talk to him much, so he wondered what was up.  
“It’s pretty obvious you have a crush on Goggles.” Specs wasn’t one for small talk, so he figured he’d just cut to the chase.  
“I-what?” Rider tensed up, not expecting what the other just said. Specs noticed his face getting flushed. “I-I have no clue what you’re talking about.” He quickly looked away, before glancing back at Specs after a minute. Specs had an amused yet caring smile on his face, which Rider sighed at. “Don’t tell anyone, alright? I’m not exactly proud of it.”  
“Alright,” Specs shrugged, “But y’know, I can help you get together with him, if you like.” While he wasn’t exactly adept at dealing with his own emotional dilemmas, he was fairly confident in his ability to help others with theirs, and he was more than willing to help (god knows he probably needed it).  
Rider was a bit surprised at the offer, but reluctantly nodded. “That’d be helpful… thanks,” he mumbled just loud enough for Specs to hear. He was a bit embarrassed to accept help from the captain of the team he was training, but he had made it very clear to himself that he was not gonna be able to do this alone.  
“It’s a deal then!” Specs gave a thumbs up.  
“”What do you mean, ‘deal’?”  
“I just wanted to say that.”  
“Oh.”

Rider tapped his finger on the table, starting to get impatient. Where is that dumbass? He wasn’t exactly sure what the hell Specs was planning, but he hoped it would get him somewhere. Though, it couldn’t get him much of anywhere if Specs never showed up. It’s not like he could’ve gotten lost; Crusty Sean’s isn’t exactly a difficult place to find.  
“Apologies for being late, Bobble set the microwave on fire,” A voice said from behind him.  
“Oh. Glad to see you’re not dead,” Rider joked as the other sat across from him.  
Specs rolled his eyes as he pulled out a small notepad from his pocket. “Call it a miracle.”  
Rider side eyed the notepad. “What the hell are you planning on doing with that?”  
“Gotta write down our plans somehow,” Specs shrugged, taking a seat.  
“...Plans?”  
“Here’s the thing. As Goggles’ teammate and roommate, he tends to tell the team when he has plans apart from the team.” Specs pushed up his glasses.  
“O...kay? And?”  
“So, he’s planning on seeing a movie tomorrow. I propose that you show up ‘coincidentally’ and join him.” He smirked.  
“So, I pretend like I wasn’t there on purpose to spend time with him?”  
“Essentially, yes.”  
Rider shrugged. “Works for me I guess.”

He took a deep breath before pushing open the door. The air conditioning hit him like a wave of cold after being outside in the warm weather. Rider was glad he always wore a jacket. He got the ticket and walked over to the room, hoping the darkness would obscure any nervousness he might be showing. He scanned the seats, checking his texts from Specs to make sure he was seeing the right movie. He sighed in defeat, sitting in a random seat after not being able to spot the blue squid. He figured that even if Goggles never was going to show up he might as well not waste the money he spent on a ticket and watch the movie anyways.  
He felt his phone buzz. Specs had asked him if he found the other yet. He answered with a no, before hearing someone walk up to him. “I didn’t know you were gonna see this movie too, Rider!” He looked up upon recognizing the voice, seeing Goggles grinning next to him. “Good to see you!”  
Rider flinched as the lights suddenly turned off. “Mind if I sit next to you?” Goggles asked. Rider assumed he was looking at him, but his eyes weren’t adjusted to the dark yet and couldn’t tell.  
“Uh, sure,” Rider replied, fidgeting a bit. He was glad the theater got dark when it did; he didn’t want the other to see him all nervous.  
The two inklings chatted about nothing interesting during the previews. Occasionally Goggles would pull Rider’s attention away from the conversation to look at something happening on the screen. When the movie started they went quiet. Goggles had his eyes glued to what was happening, but Rider wasn’t really paying attention. He found himself unable to help but gaze at the other,  
Rider noticed a slight touch to his hand. He looked down to see the other inkling’s hand lightly touching his own. Goggles intertwined their fingers; Rider felt like his heart was going to explode out of his chest. He instinctively squeezed the other’s hand, looking away from him. He felt his face getting hot, very thankful for the darkness obscuring it. The blue inkling squeezed his hand back. Rider couldn’t help but smile slightly. 

The rest of the time just flew by, Rider in a bit of a daze after all that. He was glad that he wasn’t blushing nearly as noticeably when the lights turned back on. Goggles stood up, still holding onto the other’s hand. He pulled the other along as he walked outside with Rider trailing behind him. Goggles stopped walking when they got outside, turning to face the green inkling and smiling at him. “That was fun! I’m glad we got to hang out!” He beamed. It took every bit of Rider’s strength not to blush.  
Rider pulled his hand back, feeling his face getting hot again despite his attempt to calm himself. “Well, uh, I need to be somewhere so… I guess I’ll be seeing you!” He stuttered slightly before basically running away to preserve his dignity. He didn’t want Goggles to see him so flustered.  
Goggles stood there a bit bewildered at his friend’s sudden exit, but smiled to himself as he watched him run away. “Guess he’s in a hurry.”


	2. Sick Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fake illness and an extra concert ticket might just lead to one hell of a night.

“So, how’d it go?” Specs asked, sitting across from the other.

“Fine…” Rider looked off. He couldn’t help but blush every time he thought about what happened the other day.

Specs sighed, not convinced by his attempt to hide his flush. “What happened?”

“N-nothing important,” Rider shrugged, trying to play it cool.

“If you say so. I think its important though,” Specs smiled. He knew that Rider wasn’t gonna get anywhere if he kept closing himself off like this.

“I-I guess we did hold hands…” He admitted quietly, averting his eyes.

Specs’ eyes lit up. “That’s good! Step in the right direction!” He scribbled in his notepad.

“Why are you treating this so seriously?”

“Listen, I like helping other people, and by cod you need it. I think it’s a worthwhile endeavor, I can certainly tell you that Goggles doesn’t think negatively of you, if that helps. So it's far from impossible.”

Rider paused. He wasn’t used to such acts of kindness, unsure how to react. “...Thanks, I guess.”

“No worries. Anyways, my team is gonna be training in a few, so I’ll be on my way.” Specs stood up, waving as he walked off.

Rider sighed, leaning back on the couch when he heard his phone buzz on the coffee table. He bent over to get it, blushing when he saw the contact name. Oh no. He hesitated before tapping the notification to read the message.

“ _Hey Rider! So me and Specs were gonna go to a concert tonight, but he woke up sick this morning… But he told me to offer you the extra ticket! So, do you wanna join me?”_

Rider could tell exactly what was going on. He texted Specs.

_Rider: you’re not actually sick are you_

_Specs: You’re welcome :)_

He furrowed his brows as he responded to Goggles’ message with a simple “sure”. _God I’m going to regret this._ He buried his face in his hands and sighed. He had no idea if he could possibly keep his cool tomorrow.

He looked at the clock. 10 pm. He stood up, figuring he might as well sleep early so he had the energy to try not to become a blushing mess at the concert.

Laying on his bed, he checked his phone again after feeling a buzz next to him. Another message from Goggles. _“_

_Okay!! The concert starts at 9! See you there!”_

Rider rested his head on his pillow. This boy was gonna be the death of him. He normally wouldn’t even consider going to concerts, but he just couldn’t say no to Goggles. Plus, it was part of whatever Specs’ plan was for getting them closer. It’d be counterproductive to say no. He rolled over onto his side, hoping that against all odds, his nervousness and racing heart would die down so he could get some rest.

He groaned as his alarm sounded, rolling over to silence it before he sat up, rubbing his eyes. He had spent about two hours last night just staring at the ceiling and trying to calm his nerves before passing out. Not ideal, but it was certainly better than a sleepless night. He jumped when he heard a loud crash from down the hall.

“What the everloving hell are you doing?” He said, groggily walking into the common room where his teammates were tending to a spilled thermos of coffee on the floor.

“Morning Rider!” Blazer smiled guiltily.

“...What did you do?”

“Bamboo tripped me and I dropped it!” Blazer pouted.

“Liar,” Bamboo hissed.

Rider just sighed, collapsing onto the couch. _Sometimes I regret agreeing to room with them…_ He didn’t have anything else planned today, so he turned on the tv and waited for the hours to tick by as he ignored the noise of his roommates and tried to mentally prepare himself for the night to come.

He sighed. _45 minutes. I should probably ask about a meeting place._ He grabbed his phone, texting Goggles the question before standing up to get ready. He hadn’t changed out of loungewear all day since he wasn’t planning on leaving the house until meeting up with Goggles.

He was about to leave when Bamboo stopped him.

“Where you off to?”

“None of your business.”

“Know when you’ll be back?”

“Nope.”

“Fair enough. Just don’t die.” She shrugged. He gave her an irritated look before closing the door behind him.

He saw the sun setting in the distance, taking in a breath of fresh air before bracing himself to meet the other inkling.

“Rider! There you are!” He heard the other yell, waving at him with a wide grin on his face. Rider tried not to freeze up at the sight as he walked over to him. “Come on, we don’t have long!” He grabbed his hand, dragging him along to the venue.

They stood outside the entrance. “Here’s your ticket! Shame Specs got sick on such short notice, I hope he isn’t sad that we’re having fun without him…” Goggles pouted.

“I-I’m sure he’s fine,” Rider replied. A part of him felt guilty that he was lying to Goggles.

“...Yeah you’re probably right! You’re right a lot.” Goggles smiled. Rider was almost worried that his heart was beating so loudly that he would hear it. “Lets go! I wanna see the band set up!”

“...Yeah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> am i posting chapter 2 two days after the first chapter? yes, yes i am. i wrote like 95% of it today and im impatient and dont like to wait to post things ^_^ so yeah  
> no clue if the other chapters will be so close together so don't get your hopes up, but dont get them too far down either.


	3. A Night To Remember

“Wooww! Look at all the lights!” Goggles eyes lit up, as Rider tried to actually get them to their seats. They sat down, Goggles still staring in awe. 

“It’s really not that interesting. Pretty normal concert venue.” Rider sighed, trying not to smile at his enthusiasm.

“Really? Well, I guess I wouldn’t know, I’ve actually never been to a concert before,” The blue inkling giggled. 

“Seriously? I figured you’d be the type to love this type of stuff.”

Goggles shrugged. “I never had a reason to, I guess. But Specs said he got two tickets and asked if I wanted to come along! What about you, have you ever been to one before?” 

_ He really did have this planned out, huh. _ “Yeah, a few times, but crowds aren’t really my thing.” 

Goggles just smiled as he kept looking around. After a few minutes, Rider started feeling uneasy. The constant noise and the people so close to him made him tense up. He didn’t even notice that he was all hunched up until Goggles put a hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of it. 

“Are you okay?” He gave a comforting smile, “You said you didn’t like crowds, right? Don’t worry! I won’t let you get lost or anything!” He giggled. Rider couldn’t help but feel calmer around that smile. He tried to keep himself from getting flustered, which luckily served as a great distraction from the crowd around him as they waited for the event to start. 

Rider jumped when sound came from the speakers. The band introduced themselves and started playing. “Huh, I don’t think I’ve ever heard this band before. Sounds interesting.” Rider mumbled to himself.

“This is so cool! Isn’t it fun?” He looked at Rider, tugging his sleeve. He had an enthusiastic look in his eyes.

“...Yeah.” 

“Are you doing better?” He asked with a sudden soft tone of voice.

“Hmm? What do you mean?” Rider cocked his head to the side.

“You were overwhelmed by the crowd, remember? I wanted to make sure you’re okay! We can always leave if you need to, just tell me!”

Rider couldn’t help but blush. “I’m… fine now. Thanks for worrying about me, I guess.” 

“Of course! I don’t want my friends to be upset!” The word “friend” stung a little bit. Rider didn’t respond. 

  
  


“-Here’s the last song of the night!” The person at the microphone told the crowd. The time had just flown by, both the music and the presence of the other inkling put Rider in a bit of a daze. The sudden cheering of the crowd snapped him out of it. 

Goggles giggled after seeing the other flinch. He rolled his eyes playfully. The song faded out.

“That was a lot of fun! Thanks for agreeing to come with me!” Goggles smiled as they walked out of the venue. 

“No problem.”  
Goggles stopped in his tracks. “Hey Rider?”  
“Hmm?” He felt nervous.

“Do you wanna stay over at my place tonight? It's closer so you won’t have to walk all the way to your house! It’s pretty late after all!” He grinned.

Rider tried to keep himself from freaking out. “Uh… S-sure I guess…” He looked away, fidgeting. He hoped Goggles didn’t notice. 

“Lets go!” 

Goggles fumbled with the lock on the door before pushing it open. “Come on in! Sorry if it’s kinda messy.” 

Rider shrugged as he walked in. “Don’t worry. I woke up to a shit ton of coffee being spilled on the floor this morning.” 

The other giggled. “Feel free to sit on the couch or something.”

Rider accepted the offer, taking off his jacket as he stiffly sat down. He felt nervous, unsure of how he was going to keep calm all night and hide his feelings towards the other.

Goggles sat down to his left. “I think everyone else is asleep, so we can’t yell or anything.” 

“Good thing I wasn’t planning on doing that.” He rolled his eyes. The other giggled in response. 

The two of them sat there in suffocating silence for a few minutes, the atmosphere awkward. Rider fidgeted, trying to keep his cool. Goggles looked over at him.

“...Hey Rider?” 

“Hmm?” Rider glanced over at him. He flinched when Goggles grabbed him by his shirt collar, pulled him towards him, and-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i promise i dont have this pre-written im just really fucking fast at writing okay i wrote this in a day lmaooooooooo


	4. At Long Last

Rider’s eyes widened as their lips met. He was too stunned to move or say a word as the other pulled away. Goggles smiled at him. “I love you.” Rider sat there as his face turned a bright shade of green. 

Goggles’ expression turned into one of concern when he saw the tears forming in the other’s eyes. “...Are you okay? You’re crying!” 

Rider snapped out of his stunned daze as he wiped the tears out of his eyes with his hand. “Y-yeah I’m fine, I just-” He leaned into the other, “I love you too.” 

Goggles eyes lit up. He wrapped his arms around the other’s neck and leaned back so he was laying down on the couch. The other returned the hug, arms around Goggles’ torso as he nuzzled his head against his chest. It didn’t feel real. He chuckled to himself, still in a bit of a shock; he melted into the embrace. 

“Hmm? Something wrong?” Goggles asked with a soft, quiet voice. Rider had never heard that tone coming from Goggles before. It sounded sweet and loving. 

“No its just that… This feels really nice.” Rider smiled, clinging to him. Goggles had never seen Rider without his tough guy facade. He liked seeing him so… happy. He held the other closer. 

They didn’t say a word to each other. They didn’t have to. Goggles sighed, starting to stroke the other’s head. He noticed the other making a faint noise. “I didn’t know you did that.”

Rider gave him a confused look. “Did what?”

“I didn’t know you purred.” 

Rider blushed, having not realized he was making the noise. “I uh- Didn’t know that either.” He looked away, embarrassed.

“Well I think it’s cute!” He grinned, nuzzling their noses together. Rider sighed, laying his head down on Goggles’ chest again, purring softly.

They stayed that way for a while, Goggles still stroking him. It put the other inkling right to sleep. Goggles smiled, kissing the other on the forehead. “Goodnight Rider.” 

  
  


Specs opened his door, immediately drawn to the fact that Goggles’ room across from his was empty, the door wide open.  _ Did he not come home? _ He yawned and stretched as he walked down to the kitchen, looking around to see if Goggles had come home or not. He was known to fall asleep in weird places sometimes. He shuffled his way over to the living room, still drowsy. 

He got to the living room, pausing when he heard a strange noise from on the couch. He looked over, smiling at the sight. Goggles was holding onto Rider, who was curled up in his arms, purring as he slept. They had content looks on their faces, clinging to each other. 

_ Told you it’d go well. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the part where i hate myself ;)


	5. Epilogue

“You lovebirds gonna stay asleep all day or…?” Specs joked as he walked past. The noise woke the two inklings up, Goggles yawning and Rider shifting a bit before lifting his head. He gave Specs a tired and confused look. “Also Goggles, we’re training today, remember?” 

Goggles sat up, startling the inkling on top of him. “OH YEAH! When is that?”  
“Like in 2 hours.” 

“I should probably start getting ready!”  
Specs sighed. “You have time…”  
“Yeah, but I wanna be with Rider more…” He pouted, hugging the now disoriented inkling. Rider hugged back in his tired daze. 

“I take it things went well last night?” Specs chuckled. 

“Yup!” Goggles grinned. “I’m gonna get dressed real quick, be right back!” He told Rider before standing up. The other wasn’t expecting his sudden lack of support, falling face-first onto the pillow Goggles was laying on. 

Specs stifled a laugh. “You look dead; need coffee or something?” Rider nodded in response. 

  
  


“Thanks.” Rider set the now empty mug on the coffee table. 

“So...What happened? Fill me in.” Specs smiled. “Did you really say it?”  
“No.” Rider sighed.

“Then wh-”  
“He did.” Rider couldn’t help but smile at the memory; it felt like it had happened both moments earlier and years ago at the same time. 

“I’m back!” Goggles yelled before jumping onto the couch and pulling Rider into a hug, holding his head against his chest. The other hesitated due to being taken off-guard before reciprocating the gesture. 

“So, you guys a thing now?” Specs asked. 

Goggles paused. “I dunno… D-do you wanna be?” 

Rider blushed. “Yeah, that’d be nice…” He smiled slightly. 

“Yay!” Goggles attacked the other with kisses on the cheek, before Rider pushed him away. He giggled, holding him closer.  _ Cute! _

“Well congrats, lovebirds! You two are really good for each other.” Specs grinned. 

“I-I should probably get going, I don’t wanna hold you guys up or anything.” Rider said, sitting up and grabbing his jacket before being pulled back down into Goggles’ embrace. 

“Stay! You can practice with us! ...That  _ is _ okay, right Specs?” He pouted.

“Don’t see why not. An extra member would be great for practicing against unpredictable strategies, since we’re all so familiar with each other’s battle styles. Having someone else there would make for a good change of pace.” Specs shrugged, scribbling who-knows-what in his notebook. 

Rider rolled his eyes. “Fine, I’ll join you this once. Just for you.” He kissed the other’s cheek. Goggles smiled. 

“Come on, I wanna be there early!” Goggles stood up, grinning. The other two inklings in the room sighed, before following him to the door. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! Thanks for reading my first ever fic!! uhh this was really self indulgent cuz i love them sm,,,,,, but yeah this was fun to write!! its been like a year since ive gotten any writing motivation, so it was nice to finally be able to write something again! i dont know if ill ever write more on here (if so itll probably be more gorai cuz im hyperfixating really hard rn) but if i do, stay tuned! ^_^

**Author's Note:**

> i have literally never written a single fanfiction before in my life before this so forgive me for it most likely being garbage.


End file.
